Is online here to stay?  Click to Watch our video 
Our courses are delivered online for Venepuncture and Cannulation and since 2012 
We use our Flatpack Vein Simulator so you can retain your simulator and continue to learn

67% do not feel ready yet to return to meeting rooms for courses.  Some definate NO's, some NOT YET and other Maybe.  We are here for you with our Online Classroom. It works, take a look at our feedback. 

We are looking at optins for the 33% group of people to create a safe place for classroom teaching.  Sarah our MD remains comitted to understanding the pandemic by attending WHO briefings, local webinars and discussion groups online with Dr Nabarro - WHO, Special envoy.  

How can we train during the pandemic that limits risk of outbreaks?   

LIVE ONLINE FEEDBACK

When the classroom doors shut, our journey into LIVE online practical training and our a full curriculum of online options began. Having already used LIVE online for ALL nurses leaving NHS Direct in 2012 and many remote contracts, we knew we could do LIVE but how do we reach out of the screen to make these practical skills real. How will we integrate our extensive video and online platforms built for asynchronous learning?

LIVE online direct access  Venepucture and Cannulation Day 6th July 2020 - Well done to all! Huge thanks to our delegate who took time to share with us how useful it was for her and how impressed her manager was with value for money and outcome!

Moving to online - LIVE 

We ran several live sessions virtually, our first in March.  After a pause to redesign we relauchned.  Receving some fantastic feedback in July for the standard venepuncture and cannulation course was encouraging, especially as the objective was achieved - improved patient experience and delegate confidence.  However, the situation remains new for learners and trainers alike and we want to resist the tempation to stick some videos online and say off you go.  Our project team are building the asynchronous and live courses focussing on making he learner journey as rich as our classes and smooth as possible as we all master the tech, with users understanding their new classroom (home or work) and us reliant on tech to share our expertise.

The learning environment

Our learning reaches Trainers globally who are trying to work with the tech, expectation and acheivable outcome.  Our Train the Trainer course therefore remains fluid as we work with Training centres for full set up to clinicians trying to train while already in PPE in the clinical area.  Quite simply we  want the physical classroom back  but supervision requires close contact or another way of seeing the procedure. Step forward all our cameras, magnifiying the procedure onto trainers screens means we can actually see better than in class. Our question now is how do we offer the containment and confidence we have in VeinTrain.  Courses are not just instruction places they are micro communities for as long as the course runs.  Trust is crucial and feeling safe to make mistakes and learn.  How do we work together for mutual trust? How can we reach out of the screen and do this sort of supervision - we have the object, the flatpack vein to help.  In this video you can hear Paulette coach and support in session, guiding the learner who, typical of clinicians gave himself harsh feedback.  There was a lot of good in this session but he immediately wanted to be able to do it.  In actual fact it takes time and coaching and then repeating what has been learned on the flatpack, which you keep.  Then you take the booklet to the clinical area for sign off. You can also do a quick hack for flashback that is moderately effective or book a time in the lab so you can visualise what primary and secondary flashback is or the sensation of penetrating two layers, skin and vein. 

In short we are thrilled that the vein allows ups to open up access to our training and those of colleagues around the world.  VeinTrain supports training centre partners from Glasgow, to Lagos, over to South Africa and in the  UAE.  This is not to deny the fact that it was a challange, with the usual glitches appearing (that those of us inhabiting the virtual world tolerate daily.) We still have a lot to learn too as do our delegates about being present in an online classroom, attentive all day and following instructions practically remotely. We will do this together - Education does not need to stop!  Our focus at VeinTrain HQ is moving more toward supporting Trainers through our Train the Trainer programmes. 

Sarah also shares a little here about how the sessions with Dr Nabarro helped her have confidence to push on in this way for VeinTrain , a courageous move, even for Sarah! Dr Nabarro's extensive leadership understanding and direct epidemic experience with public health for over 40 years, helped hugely. Indeed, following the recent outbreak with Staff at Hillingdon (July 2020) we feel confident in our decision to work (day and night) to build a course that is accessible without the need to be physically close in a classroom all day. We all still miss the classroom and can hardly wait to be with delegates again but wonderful to get such great feedback and outcomes already and even if we reduce the the need for classroom attendance by 80% we are happy.  We will continue to pay attention to guidance and are prepared to change direction swiftly should it be safe to do so but we know aleady we will not stop delivering online because some elelments are more effective than the classroom 

Urgently and relentlessly focussing on the elements of our business that could enable rapid deployment anywhere in the world, our flatpack vein held the key.  Previously most organisations wanted a simple drop in training tool/ssytem to reach all with some support via Train the Trainer  to roll out their own training with variable  access to licensed videos or other content in part add ons as adjuncts to their own training delivered in classrooms.   This all changed as classrooms closed and training cancelled, indeed we delivered our last course at CLCH in London in March just before the shut down.  Working Day and night the team have created a full option for practical training and education that is online, taking away the need for classroom-based education and even practical training.  Launching a small number of places online LIVE sessions  and setting up global Halo centres and local trainers to do similar. We know that each organisation wants to do these skills in their way and learners like their own trainer (in Dubai, Nigeria, South Africa or Glasgow!) and organisations want options to custom build elements of the online access.  We are thrilled that this is all now possible!  We must also note how  impressed with the way the clinicians (group learners not used to sitting online for hours!) following our online instructions in our virtual classroom with the usual glitches that come with the territory. Well done to all during these challenging times!!

Project Team for LIVE Online Asynchonous Learning Platform

Soon there will be even more options as the asynchronous learning platform is launched at the end of UK Summer in 2020. A fabulous team recruited all at master’s level education spend ALL their time building the platform. The team are specially recruited with skills and qualifications. It is particularly helpful that Ziyann is studying her master’s in Education Technology. Meanwhile Mehdi Azad's experience in the presidential office in Afghanistan is keeping our intense fast growth steady. Roberto is producing content at the speed of light! Together and we are the ensuring the content will offer a full solution that works with different organisation infrastructures to ensure that a LIVE experience is enjoyed by the learner and they go on to get the practical experience with patients after correct and comprehensive practical training. These are such  practical skills and will always require hands on support at some point in the learner journey, however we have already managed to remove the need for classroom-based teaching with LIVE sessions thanks to the flatpack system. There is still the option to enter a skills lab but note the comment below on our first LIVE session - it works! It is crucial.

Read more about this approach that we have taken so confidently in a world where no one knows what will happen next or how we can best operate :Dr Nabarro - World Health Organisation Special Envoy Briefings

Dr Nabarro - World Health Organisation Special Envoy Briefings

Sarah has been attending with Dr Nabarro's in online live session since March twice per week as it quickly became clear that these were to be incredibly valuable sessions to secure in the diary.  Attending for many reasons including to determine VeinTrain's business strategy following the pandemic announcement. It soon became apparant that we all need to be public health advocates and there was much to learn in order to work together as gloabl citizens for all of humanity. As 4SD adopts a live systems based approach to organisation consultancy, Sarah was able to access her experience and qualifcations in organisation-systems analysis and use this thinking for leadership. Thanks to the team at 4SD who are a huge part of the success of these briefings.

Sarah is confident in current and future operations of the business, keeping everyone safe and guiding organisations/Trainers on how to take forward training. Indeed, one specific question back in May about way in which conference style events can return safely helped guide the direction of VeinTrain during this period of physical distancing. Further, even if we are permitted to return or determine if it is safe to deliver in classroom/closed room setting we may suddenly be thrust again, due outbreaks of the virus. It takes long for the virus to vanish and we have to learn to live with it for a long time. Sarah is determined to ensure that education and training continues and thanks to the Flatpack innovation we have the cog in the wheel to ensure practical learning in a way that suits each organisation set up. In fact only this week we see Hillingdon hospital suffer and outbreak closing service. Working night and day to ensure learning continues and even opening up LIVE online access, which was a challenge with a remote back office team (for their protection). We are now working full throttle with project team focussed solely on our asynchronous online classroom for mass scale rapid deployment. Here VeinTrainees can learn togethor practically with members from different parts of the world as a group, taking the VeinTrain journey from Novice to Expert. We hope this can really help organisations and countries to increase in capacity for venous blood sampling for antibody screen or other clinical needs without compromising the learner journey. 

Sarah's questions here (above) about blame and scapegoating and the occurrences she noticed in and around her community networks, business, healthcare and education sector, with similar patterns of behaviour internationally. A really insightful answer with Dr Nabarro sharing how he was actually dealing with this in his media work that week. It just goes to show that even the best and most experienced find it a challange to balance ustilsing those helpful emotions without being led by them. I think if people can realise that in these times of stress and pressure we must all pause for a moment to think and be kind while also ensure we take up our authority and build the world we want. Now is our opportunity to be the best we can be during these very trying times.  

Above Sarah commenting about how we take our own authority during a time where there is a time, we could become dependent as followers and leave more space for leaders to take up rigid authoritarian regimes and similar responses from organisations. As the power shifts occur, we all need to be mindful and realise we can all play a part, an important part and be aware of who we are and how we conduct ourselves in these challenging times. 

I would invite ALL to watch the playback of the briefings and for new and experinced leaders trying to navigate this new landscape. It has been an honor to learn directly from a senior global leader, Dr Nabarro who has extensive experience in public health emergecies and who also has 4SD for leadership support/consultancy as a space to work with your own situation, determining how you will move forward. Sarah Phillips provides a limited number of organisational role analysis consultancy through www.prisminsight.co.uk  to leaders navigating through these unprecedented times. Sarah adopts a systems psychodynamic approach but has very limited availability and works internationally including a current client in Afghanistan. We can use the virtual secure platform doctify, used by the NHS.